Osun 2018: APC Should be Fair to Osun West By Oluwasesan Adetunji

Zoning is one of the most controversial words among politicians and political gladiators whenever issue of political office is being mentioned today. It is a weapon in the hand of politicians to seek public sympathy and administrative benefits.

From the past and even till now, some people see zoning as undemocratic and unconstitutional because it is never mentioned in the law book of our land, neither in the constitutions of the political parties.

In fact, the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, when confronted with the issue in the run up to the 2015 general elections, referred to zoning in the party as a “gentleman agreement”. This shows its unconstitutionality.

However, zoning is not a bad idea even though, it’s not constitutional. But not all what are not in the law book are illegal, some are traditionally and conventionally right. Some attempts to discredit zoning to call dog bad name in order to hang it.

The ingredient of any plural society is mutual inclusion and relative sense of belonging. Nothing kills a society faster than suspicion, marginalization and inequality.

Zoning, to a large extent, comes as a natural remedy for the aforementioned tragedies as it takes care of each section’s interests through peaceful and sustainable arrangement that will make a society grow both in infrastructural development and human development index.

Also, some people don’t know that introduction of Federal Character principle in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, was to guide against dominance of one section of the country over others both in real and imaginary perspective. One can say with all authority that, this is the same action zoning is also designed to guide against.

Therefore, it is safe to conclude that both federal character principle and zoning are performing the same function though, nomenclature may differ.

As Osun set to elect a new leader to steer the ship of the state for the next four years, the section that has not occupied this seat when placed side by side with others should be considered and favoured in order to enhance the needed sense of belonging, brotherhood and collective project spirit which the state needed in order to climb the ladder of developed state we are all yearning for. I am not saying the APC leadership should disqualify any governorship aspirants from other zones, but there are political machineries to be deployed in favour of Osun West. The last time the West senatorial district had representative at the Osun Governor’s Office was in 1993 when the Late former governor Isiaka Adeleke was elected as the first executive governor under the Social Democratic Party in 1992. Adeleke governed Osun State between January 1992 and November 17, 1993.

Osun Central senatorial district has enjoyed, benefitted ruled and governed the state more than any other senatorial districts. It produced Baba Bisi Akande between 1999 and 2003, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola between 2003 and 2010 as governors. Governor Rauf Aregbesola is from Osun East and he is spending his eighth years in the office as governor. It would not be out of place to state that special consideration should be given to Osun West to produce Aregbesola’s successor for fairness, equity and morality by all the political parties, most especially the All Progressives Congress, APC which has the opportunity of winning the September 22, governorship election is it chooses its candidate right.

Every part of the state is blessed with intelligent people who are capable to take over from current landlord of the seat of government. But a situation whereby some sections of the state are not allowed to rule a state that belongs to all of us is like going against the wish of our founding fathers, who worked tirelessly for the creation of the state.

The ruling party, All Progressives Congress embraces the spirit of justice and fair play given the fact that Osun West has not had the opportunity to rule the state in this Fourth Republic. Osun a dara o.